Disney Dance Academy
by ayezlafoi
Summary: Your favourite Disney characters in a dance school setting, as they struggle with love and loss in the lead-up to the big Christmas show. Usual pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Cinderella jiggled her leg nervously as she waited for her tube to arrive.

She absolutely could not be late today. They would be giving out parts in routines for the big Christmas show, and it could be pivotal in her success on the stage.

Besides, Disney Dance Academy was an establishment that did not condone sloppy behaviour.

So, her sigh of relief was audible when the tube finally did arrive. Knowing that she wouldn't be right on time, however, Cinderella cursed herself for not taking the earlier one like Snow had. Her bed had just been so warm.

Everyone was meant to meet in the theatre, and since everywhere else was pretty much empty she knew all but her already had.

At least they were all so engrossed in what was being said, they didn't noticed the rattle of the door as she entered. Only a few people looked around as she put her bag on a seat and went to stand next to Snow, who gave her a smile.

Both of them, though good dancers, lacked confidence and were therefore nearly always placed at the back in group ballet routines. Neither of them had ever had a solo, pair dance, or a duet in a show. No, those were always given to Aurora, one of the stars at DDA. Cinderella liked the beautiful girl well enough, but it was only natural to be jealous of her confidence and elegance.

Mr Genie, one of the assistant directors for the show, was speaking with almost comical enthusiasm about his ideas. True, Cinderella was amused, but she was zoning out for the most part.

"...bigger, better, and brighter than ever before! Dancers from around the globe to teach the most exotic and beautiful routines to be found anywhere! Special effects and sets to..."

That, however, stuck with her. Visitors would certainly prove to be something of interest at the Academy. She considered this until parts were distributed. Even then, she only listened to those for ballet, her main genre.

"Aurora will have the solo."

That was no surprise. All the dancers in the room clapped with resignation and mild envy as the blonde girl smiled and said her thanks.

"And Vanessa will share the duet with her."

Neither was that. Whilst Vanessa was not the nicest person, she was a graceful and experienced dancer. Cinderella joined in with applauding her, then waited for the news on the group dances.

She, of course, was not given a part of importance for the first one, which was to be woodland themed. To everyone's surprise, however, Snow was selected to be a main dancer in it (even if it was only because her complexion was perfectly suited for the magpie). Cinderella hugged her friend, happy for her, but more than a little jealous.

It got worse. After a guy named Taran and Aurora had been called out for the pair dance, it was onto the second group routine, and Cinderella wasn't even mentioned. It was _humiliating. _She felt tears threatening to spill out of her eyes as the rest of the dances for the show were explained, and the worried gaze of Snow.

On the off-chance it had been a mistake, she approached the director of ballet, a young choreographer called Ferdinand. He was chatting with Aurora, who Cinderella could barely look in the eye at this point.

"E-excuse me? Ferdinand?"

"Yes, uh, Cinderella, is it?"

"Yeah, that's me. I was just wondering... You see, because..." she took a deep breath. "My named wasn't called out for the second group dance. The one with partners."

He didn't say anything for precisely one second, and in that moment fears of it being totally intentional and her having to suffer the mortifying fate of not doing the dance at all took flight. Then, however, he spoke.

"Oh! I'm awfully sorry, Cinderella. We must have overlooked you. I don't know who we can partner you with, but I'm sure we'll sort something out..." and with that, he had jogged away, nose buried in papers. She sighed with relief, and, sensing Aurora's curious eyes on her, hurried away. On her way out, she bumped into a petite girl with short brown hair and wide green eyes.

Rapunzel hadn't been looking where she was going. Cheeks flushing pink, she apologised to the pretty blonde she'd almost knocked over. The girl in question didn't seem to mind, and walked away. Shaken, Rapunzel continued on her way.

This was the first real job she'd gotten since she ran away from home in the summer. Nani, who she'd met by chance whilst wandering the streets, had taken her in on the condition she looked after Lilo, her little sister, sometimes. However, it felt so nice to be taking real care of herself for once, and earning her keep. It was only set painting, but Rapunzel couldn't believe her luck. She so desperately wanted to do well.

Clumsily bashing into high-paying dance students wasn't a good start.

Seeking to forget the incident, Rapunzel found her way backstage. There seemed to be a lot of wires and equipment, but she couldn't see anybody painting or drawing. Biting her lip, she looked around.

"Who're you looking for?" somebody asked her. She turned around. A tan boy, wearing an odd purple waistcoat, was staring expectantly at her.

"Oh!" she said. "I- I'm looking for someone-" she checked the paper she had been given. "Someone called Jane!"

"Jane'll be just round the back there." the boy said.

"Thank you so much, uh..."

"Aladdin."

"Thank you, Aladdin."

Aladdin smiled good-naturedly and went back to whatever he was doing with all those wires. Rapunzel hurried away, in search of Jane. Sure enough, a brunette was dabbing white on a huge piece of wood in the direction Aladdin had pointed in. Spread out all around her were pots of paint and brushes, as well as strips of cloth to protect the stage and other art supplies. Rapunzel scurried over to her.

"Hi!" she said brightly. If Jane was taken aback by her enthusiasm, she didn't show it.

"You must be Rapunzel." she extended her hand, warmly if formally. Rapunzel took it and nodded.

"That's me! I'm supposed to help you with sets and costumes."

"Well, I only really do the painting. Eudora is in charge of costumes and Tink makes the actual sets."

"That's cool! Can I meet them?"

"Oh, uh... Sure, I guess. I'll take you in a moment."

"Great! Thanks!"

Excited even by _her _standards, Rapunzel thanked her lucky stars for this job. She couldn't wait to tell Nani and Lilo all about it.

"Straighten your leg a little, Snow. Vanessa, if you could just curve that arm more- yes, perfect, perfect! Giselle, you need to be facing the right, that's it. Aurora, wonderful! You're doing great, girls. We'll really start working on the routine next week..."

Ferdinand beamed at the four girls in front of him. They had all been chosen to dance major roles in the woodland dance he was choreographing, and he had to say, they were doing beautifully.

He could see they were going to be perfect. Aurora was the most graceful dancers he knew – one of his favourites – and Vanessa had a dark, edgy aura that never failed to intrigue an audience. When Giselle danced, she danced from her heart. And Snow... well, after Elsa had told him that she couldn't possibly take part in the show because of family troubles, he had a place to fill. The usual choice would have been Eilonwy, another top dancer, but the shy, mysterious girl he could never pluck up the courage to talk to seemed to fit the part of the magpie a hundred times better.

He tried to divide his attention between the four equally, knowing that she was too young for him anyway. Not that he liked her or anything...

Snow White was out of reach. Definitely.

Also, not to be unkind, but his family had expectations of him, and he wasn't so sure they'd approve of him dating _anybody _on a scholarship. Even so, he didn't know much about Snow. After all, she could have any sort of home situation – in fact, he had overheard her friend, Cinderella, who was also on a scholarship, mention her deceased father, who turned out to be a wealthy, well known figure. There were no point in ruling anything out, was there?

He decided to ask her about it whilst she untied the ribbons on her shoes.

"Hi, Snow."

Her pale cheeks coloured slightly at being spoken to. "Hi."

"You did really well today."

"Uh, thank you..."

"I was just wondering - I don't know much about you, see – if anyone from home will be coming to the show? Only I-"

"I've got to go."

Ferdinand watched with astonishment as Snow quickly stuffed her shoes into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Before he could even blink, she was out the door, head bowed and, he suspected, eyes watering.

What had he done wrong? He cursed himself on his way home, but though he was angry at himself, he was confused as to what his mistake had been. Maybe he would ask his cousin, Wendy, when she got home from work. She always had useful insight.

Whatever it was, one thing was for certain. Snow White was a mystery, and one he intended to solve.


	2. Chapter 2

Aurora admired her reflection in the full-length mirror.

She knew she was beautiful, and always had. Her appearance had never been a source of discomfort for her. No, her insecurities came from elsewhere. Worries buried deep of whether her parents truly cared, and if she really fit in with their world...

She had been raised by her three 'aunts', old women her parents had enlisted to look after her. They had lived in the most ramshackle part of a secluded town, surviving just barely on home-grown food and making do with simple clothes. Aurora had also always been forbidden to speak to other children, and after a while she was so shy she hadn't needed to be told.

Dance had been all that kept her going for a while.

Eventually, her parents had decided she was old enough to be of use to them and welcomed back into their home, a mansion. At first all the finery and complexity of society had terrified her. However, she soon began to learn something about putting on a mask, exuding confidence no matter what her inner turmoil was...

Sometimes, it seemed as if her life was just a cycle of dancing and being set up by her parents.

One of the most common candidates for that was her the son of her father's business partner: Philip. They were constantly being nudged together at dinner parties and other social gatherings. They both found it highly embarrassing – so much so, in fact, that they had never attempted to get to know each other better.

It was him and his parents who were coming over now. They would be here any moment. With one last look at her reflection, Aurora smoothed down her blue dress and made her way down the stairs. All her dresses were either that colour or pink, strangely. Apparently they complimented her looks, or something. Either way, she sometimes wish she could go back to wearing those ordinary brown and white outfits.

There were pros and cons to being rich.

Philip's father was an enormous, beefy man with a loud voice. When Aurora kissed his cheek in greeting, he went bright red. Her mother watched him with mild distaste, but her father was all smiles and laughs. The adults insisted on Aurora and Philip sitting next to each other, of course. The pair of them exchanged looks of exasperation throughout the meal, whilst boring topics such as income rates were discussed.

"How is Aurora's dancing coming along?" Philip's mother asked eventually, after what seemed like an age. Aurora knew it was only out of politeness.

"Wonderful, isn't that right, my dear?" her father asked. The woman in question nodded.

"Oh, yes. And her singing, too. She's actually performing at a small event down south next month. We would love for you to come along."

"Oh, yes, we most certainly will..."

"Sounds wonderful... Would you like to attend, Philip?"

"Oh yes, Philip should definitely attend!"

All eyes turned to the young man, who simply shrugged.

"Perhaps."

Aurora couldn't help it; she let out a snort. Luckily, no-one seemed to hear her and the rest of the evening progressed without a hitch. She didn't bother to say farewell to the guests, since the adults were all too drunk to care at that point.

Oh, the life of the rich.

On top of all the pressure being piled up on her to find a boyfriend (preferably Philip) there was the multiple dances she was expected to perfect for the show. She honestly didn't know if she was going to be able to cope.

Only time would tell, she guessed. She would work it out.

The reading out of the parts had left Mulan thoroughly bored. Even after years of dance training, she still could not bring herself to be interested in anything to do with it. It didn't help that she was useless – always tripping over her own feet. Her speciality was supposed to be lyrical, but she could barely do that either.

Her parents absolutely insisted on her sticking at it. They were adamant that one day she would learn, get the hang of it, especially her mother, only even her father was beginning to lose hope.

Mulan had long since realised her talents lay elsewhere.

Today she had no dance classes. After ordinary lessons, she would be expected to practice in a studio, perfecting routines and skills. Others usually did this in little groups, but since Mulan's best friends were her horse and her dog, she did it alone. To be honest, it didn't bother her in the slightest. Most days like this she ditched school anyway.

After she checked the coast was clear, she prepared to do so again. A water bottle, deodorant, towel, and pair of trainers all went in her bag. Before she could turn around to leave, however, the door opened.

A girl she vaguely recognized was silhouetted in the frame. Dark hair, piled into an elaborate ponytail, framed a strikingly pretty face. Purple tank top and jogging bottoms covered a figure that was more sharp than curvy.

Mulan had seen her around – she did hip hop, or freestyle, or whatever – but never once had she exchanged more than two words with her. What was her name again? Amara?

"Where are _you _off to?" the girl had a slow drawl that seemed to permanently hint at sarcasm. Not seeing any point in lying, Mulan shrugged.

"The martial arts place. It's across the road."

"Oh really?" her gaze was startlingly perceptive.

"Yeah. I was just leaving, so..."

"Mind if I join you?" It wasn't a request. It was more like a subtle demand. Mulan, though now more than a little confused, simply shrugged again.

"Sure...?"

"Don't look so dumbstruck. Hot guys, right? I'm Meg."

"Short for Megan?"

"No." Meg didn't elaborate any further. Feeling awkward, Mulan led the way. She had little experience with girls her own age.

"So... What type of dance do you do?" she asked finally, in an attempt to ease the uncomfortable silence. Ignoring her, Meg turned the conversation completely around.

"You're always alone."

"Excuse me?" Mulan flushed, feeling slightly offended.

"It's okay, you're in luck! I always am too."

"So...?"

Meg was bewildering.

"We can be friends. You seem smarter than the others."

"I'm not smart."

"Not as smart as I am. But reasonably so. I saw what you did with your dog last week."

"I'm sorry?"

"At the stables. You tied the horse feed to him and let him run about."

"You saw that?"

"There's people I know there."

"Oh." Mulan hesitated. "So we're friends now, as simple as that?"

"Why not?"

"Um. Okay."

Meg gave a quick flash of her teeth that might have been a smile. Mulan simply blinked in response.

When they reached the martial arts academy, Mulan could see her father through the glass of the lobby doors, uniform still on. She watched him for a moment, sighing, before circling round to the back entrance. Meg didn't question it.

He had supported her interest in sport and fighting when she had been young, but when her mother and grandmother had insisted on her learning to dance he had agreed with their decision. Now she had to go behind his back.

On her way to her usual practice room, Mulan kept glancing behind to check that Meg was still there. The other girl was seriously overly enigmatic, and she had no idea what to say to her.

In fact, her presence made hitting at the punching bag less satisfying than usual; she couldn't help but feel seriously self-conscious. The silence really put a damper on the mood and Mulan found that she really couldn't get into the exercise like usual. Maybe this whole 'being friends' thing was just ridiculous.

To make things worse, somebody, for once, stumbled upon the usually secluded and left alone practice room.

Two someones, in fact. Guys. Shirtless guys, making Mulan flush red.

They were both blonde, but one was more groomed whilst the other had a shaggy look to him. Though they were apologetic at first, Meg's flirting soon had them chatting away. She had been combing at her hair using Mulan's water. Now she was saying something to the guy who introduced himself as 'Hercules', saying something about having no friends.

The other guy smiled at Mulan. "I'm Phoebus." he said, holding his hand out formally. "I fence."

She held it very briefly, still pink and looking anywhere but his bare chest.

"I'm- Ping." she blurted out. She couldn't have people (namely her father) discovering she came here, and it was the first thing she had thought of.

"So, you come here often?"

"Sometimes."

"You fight almost as well as a guy."

"Thank you?"

"You should come to the club. Me and my friend Shang run it."

"Oh, I don't know..."

"It's on an evening, and anyone can go, nothing to do with the school."

"I really don't think-"

"Just think about it. Most of the guys have barely spoken to a chick!"

Mulan privately thought that was all the more reason to avoid the club, but she she nodded and smiled anyway. Besides, maybe if her father let her attend some sort of weekly training session she could prove herself to him and he would allow her to take on full-time training.

"Anyway, I've got to go." Hercules was saying. "I've got to check on my horse at the stables."

"Can I join you?" Mulan asked shyly. He looked surprised but nodded, as she said "Only, I have a horse there too."

Phoebus and Meg both waved to her as she left with Hercules. She didn't know why she hadn't immediately bolted from all of them, to be honest. Mulan Fa just didn't do the whole friendship thing.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she chose to listen to Hercules describe his horse – Pegasus – instead of describing Khan.

Still, when she went home that evening, she didn't tell her mother the day had been 'fine'. She said it had been 'good'.


End file.
